Session Description
Diversity @Work: An Economic Imperative
During this session Nikki Lanier will deliver an impactful talk about diversity in the workplace as an economic imperative. She will dive in to talent development as it relates to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and share her personal journey that has led to her current role at the Fed.
About our Guest Speaker
NIKKI R LANIER
Senior Vice President and Regional Executive
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Louisville Branch
Nikki Lanier is senior vice president and regional executive of the Louisville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, which covers metro Louisville, southern Indiana and western Kentucky. She is also a member of the Bank’s Management Committee.
As leader of the Branch, she connects the public, business leaders, community bankers, community development organizations, and educators—the groups representing Main Street—to the Fed. The Branch hosts various convenings, where information is collected on a variety of industries in consideration of monetary policy deliberations. The two-way exchange of information allows the Branch to disseminate economic data and related information to key audiences, allowing these audiences to make more informed decisions about their organizations. She also oversees the Branch’s community development and economic education initiatives.
Prior to joining the St. Louis Fed in 2014, Ms. Lanier served as personnel cabinet secretary for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, chief human resources officer for Charter Schools USA, vice chancellor of human resources for Maricopa Community Colleges, and other positions in both the health care and legal fields. In her positions, she focused on strategic planning, community partnerships, succession planning, recruitment and retention, and labor negotiations. Ms. Lanier earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Hampton University.
Ms. Lanier is deeply involved in the Louisville community and serves on the boards of Greater Louisville Inc., the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, and the Board of Advisors of University of Louisville’s College of Business. She is the Chair of the Board of OneWest. Ms. Lanier also serves on the LEAD360 Business Development Team, is a member of the UNCF Louisville Leadership Council and is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
In 2019 she was presented with the Robert C. Burks Distinguished Business and Leadership Award. In 2018 she was selected to a national list of notable financial executives, The Business Journals’ Influencers: top 100 executives having an impact on business in communities. She has also been honored as Louisville Business First’s “Woman of Influence,” one of “20 People to Know in Banking and Finance,” “Forty Under 40” and recognized as one of the “10 Most Influential Women of Louisville.” She has also authored a chapter in the book Rethinking Human Resources.
